I am a Tombstone Tourist: someone who loves to wander cemeteries. I find it akin to visiting a museum: an opportunity to enjoy rarely seen sculpture, intricate carvings, and amazing architecture, all in a tranquil outdoor setting. This blog is about cemetery culture, art, history, issues of death, and genealogy - subjects of current relevance. I usually find something that intrigues me and makes me want to dig deeper. Care to join me? Read on...

Friday, October 25, 2013

Haunted Towns in the Midwest - Alton, Illinois

Haunted Alton, Illinois and the Mineral Springs
Hotel

Once
again, the month of October is upon us…. a time for hauntings, Halloween - and
all things spooky.This month, A Grave
Interest is traveling around the Midwest, taking ghost tours and getting a look
at some ‘lively’ places, and, maybe, the spirits who make them so…

I
decided early on that it would be smart to get some guides for these haunted
jaunts. And who better to seek out than the local experts on all things
paranormal in their towns.

On
a cool, rainy night about 30 people milled around in the foyer of what was once
a grand hotel in Alton, Illinois. First, let me preface by saying that Alton has
the reputation (well earned, I might add) of being one of the most haunted
towns in America.

The
building we were in was, at one time, the Mineral Springs Hotel; given the name because
of the mineral springs that flow below the building. At the turn of the
century sulfur springs were thought to have healing properties. Here the
water was pumped up inside the building to be bottled and used as cures for a
variety of aliments. The hotel opened in 1914 and thrived for several decades
before finally closing in 1971.

Mineral Springs Hotel Building

The
building was reopened in the late 1970s as an antique mall and has had a rocky
time since then. Today it is home to a few shops, the Torture Museum, and
Mineral Springs Haunted Tours, which is where we began this night with tour
owner, Janet Kolar.

Alton Cemetery

"Pearl"

After
“checking in” we proceed to our vehicles and followed the Mineral Springs Haunted
Tour hearse "Pearl" to the Alton Cemetery. There we were told about several prominent
Alton residents from the past as we visited their graves.

Sarah Bell's Stone

Tour in Cemetery

At
the plot of the Bell Family, our guide told of a young girl, Sarah Bell, who
died when she was around 10 years old. A small limestone marker was placed in
the family plot to mark her grave, but it soon disappeared. Her mother was
inconsolable and continued to search for the stone until her death some years
later. After she died, an apparition of a lady in black was seen walking in this
area of the cemetery, apparently searching for something.

Alton to Edwardsville

The
story could end there but circumstances added a final chapter. A
few years ago, a man in Edwardsville, Illinois (18 miles from Alton) contacted
the cemetery wanting to return a tombstone he had found buried in his backyard.
He had unearthed it while digging a foundation. The stone was that of Sarah
Bell, missing for over 100 years. Since it has been returned to the family
plot, the lady in black has not been seen…

Lovejoy's Grave

The
grave of abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy is also located here, inside a small
iron fence. Lovejoy began printing an abolitionist newspaper called The Alton
Observer in 1837. But one year later a pro-slavery throng attacked his printing
store in an attempt to destroy his press. During the melee, Lovejoy was fatally
shot. Orbs and lights can sometimes be seen streaking past his grave, as if he is still
trying to run his presses.

Cemetery Seance

Cemetery at Night

About midway through the tour, a séance was
held down a dark cemetery road. Several took part, although participation was
optional. Orbs and streaks of light were reportedly seen in the cemetery at
that time.

Lobby Area Today

We
then headed back to the warmth and light of the old Mineral Springs Hotel where
refreshments were served in the Crystal Room. Then we began a tour of the old
hotel, which has been called the most haunted building in Alton – and in this
town, that is claiming a lot!

Using Rods

Things
have gone “bump in the night” here for years. And tales of murder, suicide, and
vengeance are abundant. Former employees, shop owners, and guests report phantom
footsteps, cold spots, and an eerie feeling of being watched throughout the
hotel.

Basement Pool Area

In
the basement is a swimming pool; said to be haunted by several sprits including
a young girl, a man, and a woman. Wet footprints have been seen near the pool,
which has been without water for years. Splashing sounds have been heard in the
basement but when investigated there are no sounds, and again, there is no
water.

Mural of Alton

Another
spirit that seems to linger here is that of Charlie, a painter who could not
pay his lodging bill in the 1930’s. Instead of running out on his tab, Charlie
offered to paint a mural of Alton on one wall of the bar. The owner agreed and
Charlie worked off his debt, while also working behind the bar at night. Legend
has it that something made Charlie despondent and he took his life one night.

Staff
and customers have reported smelling alcohol in this section of the building
and of having the feeling of being watched. The guide on this tour said that
Charlie has been known to follow some women from the tour back home, but once
he’s told to go away, he returns to Mineral Springs.

Probably
the best-known ghost is that of the Jasmine Lady. The story goes that a woman
and her husband came to the hotel to enjoy the healing waters around 1925, but
while staying here she became involved with another guest.

Jasmine Lady's Room

Down the Hallway

One
evening, when her husband was gone, she entertained the man in her room. Her
husband returned unexpectedly and found the two. Panicked and terrified, the
woman ran from her room and plunged down the stairs in an attempt to reach the
safety of the lobby. What really happened is not known; did she trip
while running down the stairs, or did her husband push her? Either way, the result was a broken neck
during the fall. She died immediately.

Haunted Stairs

Several
employees, staff and guests have witnessed the replay of the Jasmine Lady’s
fall down the stairs. Some catch a whiff of jasmine perfume that seems to
linger around the staircase. Others have reported feeling something brush past
them on the stairs, and some have seen business signs in the hallway swing back
and forth as if moved by a sudden gust of air.

Mineral
Springs Haunted Tours offers several walking tour adventures, after dark, in the downtown area, and in the cemetery, which also includes a tour of the hotel. Or, if
you’re feeling very spirited, you
might consider an exclusive overnight camp-out in the pool area.

About Me

I
love wine and will take any chance to sip, savor and share it! Hence, Joy’s JOY
of Wine http://joysjoyofwine.blogspot.com,
a weekly blog about all things wine. I've been in the industry for 15
years as a winery owner, marketing director, speaker, writer, wine judge, and
100% vino girl!

I'm
also a professional freelance magazine and book writer uncorking articles about
wine, food, history, travel, cemetery history and culture. My interest in
cemetery culture led to another great, or maybe I should say
"grave" gig, my weekly blog: A Grave Interest http://agraveinterest.blogspot.com where I get to travel around the country and speak about cemetery topics for genealogy, history and
education conferences.

I suppose you could say that wine is my
passion, and cemeteries are my diversion ... into another world.

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